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Comment by Lewisham | Hacker News Reader

Did anyone else see this in the FAQ?

Who can use Simple?

To be eligible, you must:

- Be a resident of the United States and over the age of 18; - Have a Social Security number; and - Own a smartphone (iPhone or Android).

Do I really need to have a smartphone?

Well, you need to have an iOS (version 4.2 or higher) or Android device. Android phones and iPhones are preferable so that you can deposit checks using your smartphone’s camera and receive push notifications when you buy things.

I can't believe you need a smartphone to sign up. That seems absolutely crazy to me. Why can't you just accept scanned checks from a scanner? I would hazard more people have access to a scanner (even the one at work) than own a smartphone.

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Hi, cofounder of Simple here.

We require a smartphone for more than just mobile check deposit. We want people to have our app installed so we can use it for multifactor authentication, for example. We also want to do rich push notifications of account activity, and SMS (the only viable non-smartphone option for that) isn't a great experience.

Today, there's still a bunch of people who don't have smartphones. But the previous generation of iPhone is now basically "free" at some carriers, as are many Android phones. By the time we're off our invite list and open to anyone who wants to sign up, it's going to seem crazy to support anything that isn't a smartphone.

Aha! Multifactor authentication is an integral part of the service. That's a USP. You should put it right in that FAQ.

A number of Internet banks used to say "hey, you could mail us checks, or you know, just keep a brick-and-mortar account open and transfer them over." The way the FAQ reads to me is that Simple are a bit bloody-minded about it, what if I never get checks? (I must have had about 2 or 3 this year, total). Then I wouldn't need a smartphone, but Simple would still not let me sign up. Saying things like multifactor authentication would help push the idea that the smartphone is really required, rather than just something helpful.

You should support Windows Phone as well.

Are you going to put limits on check amounts? The only checks I tend to get are payroll checks and often those are too big for most deposit by smartphone check deposit programs.

I would suggest that they are no more interested in doing business with customers without a smartphone than ING Direct is interested in doing business with people who don't use the web. I think the general consensus is that the majority of banking is going to mobile over the next few years, and Simple is betting on it. Why waste a metric ton of money to service people without smartphones when 90+% of the customers you want will have them within the next few years.

They're upfront and honest about the requirements. I don't see the big deal.

Simple (from what I can see on their site) is about creating a wonderful banking experience for its customers. There is nothing wonderful about scanning and uploading checks. If the service requires a smartphone, so be it.

From a strategy standpoint, it can be assumed that most of their launch market is going to have an iOS or Android device.

I would hazard more people have access to a scanner (even the one at work) than own a smartphone.

That's probably not true; Reading The US smartphone landscape (http://www.asymco.com/2011/11/06/the-us-smartphone-landscape...).

Also, Nielsen points out that 43% of all cell phones in the US are smartphones; it's just a matter of time before every cell phone sold is going to be a smartphone. Apple's iPhone 3GS is free with a two-year contract.

62% of users 25-34 years old own smartphones: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/generation...

So requiring a smartphone (iOS and Android have a combined installed base of 63 million devices in the US) isn't as whacky as it sounds.

I'd hazard a guess that you're wrong. Dedicated scanners became totally obsolete for 99% of users with the switch to digital photography.

Scanning checks on a smartphone is the killer app for anyone who has a small, mobile business.

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